Bhutan's first couple accorded royal welcome at Jodhpur

Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his newlywed queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck today visited Mehrangarh fort here as the guest of the royals of Jodhpur.

The Bhutanese royal couple arrived Jodhpur last night and were taken to Umaid Palace, where they were accorded a traditional welcome before being accommodated in the Maharani Suit.

The erstwhile ruler of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh, threw a gala dinner in the honour of the newly-wed couple.

Earlier in the day, Gaj Singh and the curator of the fort Karni Singh Jasole took the Bhutanese couple to a brief tour of Mehrangarh fort.

The couple was awe-struck with the magnificence of the 15th century fort and could not resist expression the feeling.

After their brief sojourn of Jodhpur, the Bhutanese king and queen left for Udaipur, the last destination of their honeymoon trip to the princely state of Rajasthan where they came on a five-day visit.

This is the first abroad visit of Wangchuck after his wedding on October 13 and the fourth trip to India since his coronation in November 2008.

The couple reached India on a nine-day state visit on October 24.